This overview introduces the features and capabilities of WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server and shows how it fits into the suite of WebLogic RFID products. It includes the following sections:
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a generic term for technologies that use radio waves to identify objects. Typically, a unique identifier (such as an EPC code) that identifies an object, and perhaps other information, is stored on a microchip that is attached to an antenna (the chip and the antenna together constitute an RFID tag). The antenna enables the chip to transmit the identification information to a reader. The reader converts the radio waves reflected back from the RFID tag into digital information that computers can receive and process on behalf of user applications.
BEA WebLogic RFID technology includes the following products:
WebLogic RFID Edge Server—Software deployed at remote sites where there are RFID readers, such as warehouses, distribution centers, and retail stores, for recording incoming tag data and reporting that data to RFID Enterprise Server. The Edge Server can run stand-alone on a computer or be embedded in a growing range of other devices, including routers.
WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server—Runs at the data center; gathers information from Edge Servers and RFID Compliance Express at the edge (remote sites); and processes, records, and presents the data.
WebLogic RFID Compliance Express—An application that people at the warehouse or distribution center use to assign unique EPC codes, program them onto RFID tags, verify the application of those tags to cartons and pallets, and record the carton/pallet aggregation.
RFID Enterprise Server Capabilities
WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server provides services, resources, and APIs for managing and coordinating large, multi-location RFID deployments. It links real-time RFID data gathered at the edge of the enterprise with enterprise applications and provides the means for sharing enterprise RFID data with partners.
RFID Enterprise Server provides the means to:
Configure and monitor RFID servers and devices at the edge, using a Web-based management console.
Retrieve and persist event data generated from the edge.
Create and manage master data that provides context for understanding event data.
Create and schedule queries for delivering persisted event data; subscribe to reports based on the query results.
Generate standard reports of EPCIS events.
Assign blocks of serial numbers from a central location for distributed EPC tagging operations
WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server provides full support for the EPCglobal EPC Information Services (EPCIS) standard.
Overview of RFID Enterprise Server Components
WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server has the following services, components, and Web-based consoles (graphical user interfaces, or GUIs):
The Edge Server Administration Console provides tools for monitoring and managing RFID Edge Servers.
The Event Service captures EPCIS event data sent from the edge, stores it in the event repository, and makes the data available for retrieval.
The Master Data Service and the Master Data Administration Console provide the means for creating and managing master data, which provides context for understanding raw event data.
The Query Subscription Administration Console provides tools for creating queries on EPCIS event data and for subscribing to reports that present the returned data. The Data Exchange Service processes the queries and returns the results.
The Reporting Service and the Reporting Service Console provide the means for generating predefined reports for internal use.
The Serial Number Assignment Service and the Serial Number Assignment Console provides centralized management for allocating blocks of EPC codes to tag writing systems at the edge, so consecutive codes can be assigned to items in the supply chain at that location.
RFID Enterprise Server complies with and extends industry standards, including those of EPCglobal, the international RFID industry standards group (see the EPCglobal Web site at http://www.epcglobalinc.org/).
RFID Enterprise Server implements the EPCglobal EPC Information Services (EPCIS) 1.0 specification, defining the structure of EPC-related event data and the mechanisms for data exchange.
Note:
While this specification is still in draft form, BEA's active participation in defining this standard insures that BEA users will always be up to date as the standard evolves.
Accessing the RFID Enterprise Server Consoles
As introduced above, RFID Enterprise Server provides five GUIs, or consoles, for interacting with your RFID enterprise. These consoles are all Web-browser based, so you can access them from any computer with a Web browser and access to the enterprise network. The consoles are:
Edge Server Administration Console
Master Data Administration Console
Query Subscription Administration Console
Reporting Service Console
Serial Number Assignment Console
When you install RFID Enterprise Server on Microsoft Windows, a link to the RFID Enterprise Server Home page is added to the Start menu. To access the Home page directly, open a Web browser and follow this link: http://server:port/enterprise/.
